Manifest Destiny

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Manifest Destiny Mexican War

• American Progress

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Manifest Destiny Mexican War

• In American Progress, the allegorical female
  hovering above the progress of pioneers, wagons,
  trains and others moving westward seems to
  symbolize that conquering the frontier is an
  almost angelic thing to do. This reflects a
  belief in the concept of Manifest Destiny that
  drove politics in the mid-19th century.

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• Problems with Annexation and the Boundary Dispute
  
• The US claimed the Rio Grande as the southern
  border of Texas/US
• Mexico claimed the Nueces near Corpus Christi as
  the boundary between Mexico and Texas/US
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• Each country (Mexico and the US) sent troops
  into this area between the Nueces and the Rio
  Grande to protect what they considered to be
  their interests in the area
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• When war did break out (which was inevitable)
  each side blamed the other for starting the war
  by invading their land and committing atrocities
  against their citizens and property.

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• Work with your table to complete The Mexican War
  map activity

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Key Points

• The US army overpowered the less equipped Mexican
  army
• The battles fought were fierce. Many of those
  fighting would later go on to be political and
  military leaders in the US-particularly in the
  years leading up to and including the Civil War
• As a result of this war and the Treaty of
  Guadalupe-Hidalgo ending the war the US
  accomplished 3 major goals

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3 Goals

1. Achieved Manifest Destiny by getting control of
   all land between Texas and California (and 1 year
   later gold was discovered in Cali) from Mexico
   for 15 million.
2. Almost doubles the size of the United States
   through land gained in the Texas Annexation and
   the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
3. Settled the boundary dispute, setting the border
   between Mexico and the US as the Rio Grande

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Another Result of Mexican War

• Many former Mexican citizens in the new US
  territories/states of Texas, New Mexico and other
  parts of the southwest lost land and citizenship
  rights